Pitch of the Day: Where Should the 'Predator' Franchise Go Next?

Now that we've gotten our first look at Predators, I'm ready to think about the future for this franchise. I know, it's still a little early. The film doesn't even hit theaters til July. But given how long it took for this installment to get made I believe the sooner the better as far as developing the next sequel. Any ideas?

Here's mine: Considering Predators appears to do for Predatorwhat Aliensdid for Alien -- at least in terms of increasing the number of creatures and appropriately adding the "s" to the title -- I think the series should continue to follow its cousin franchise's lead. We can skip Predator³ because the forgettable Predator 2may be stamped its equivalent. Plus, the setting of Predators is a kind of game preserve, which is like a prison, so we don't need another. Unless maybe it's set in a metropolitan prison like the Manhattan wasteland of Escape from New York. Yes, Predator 2 had the honor of being labeled "Predator in a city," but this would be completely different. Otherwise, put the camouflaging creatures in another terrain besides jungles and forests. How about a desert prison, like an Abu Grabe kind of place?

Or let's just move ahead to Predator: Resurrection, though hopefully with a better script than Alien: Resurrection. The main idea here is that some character from the franchise (Arnold Schwarzenegger's if he's willing) will be cloned as a hybrid human/Predator, which will then go up against a super Predator warrior we've never seen before. Never mind that the cloning plot makes less sense to a franchise that doesn't deal with parasitic creatures. Maybe there's some sort of mating between a Predator and a human. Remember the lovey dovey exchange at the end of Alien vs. Predator between Sanaa Lathan and one of the Predators? Creepy and silly, but who knows?

Perhaps the hybrid idea was taken care of by the Predalien of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Well, then, let's just move on to a Predator prequel since that's the current direction of the Alien franchise. In any event, I'd love to see another foreign auteur take the franchise on, like Jean-Pierre Jeunet did with Alien: Resurrection. My pick: Oscar-winner Michael Haneke (Funny Games).

What would you do with the Predator franchise if you were put in charge of it? Maybe a real Predators musical?